







In English we use the present simple tense to talk about facts or things that are always true, as well as things in general. Present simple is also used to talk about a repeated action such as a habit, a hobby, a daily event, a scheduled event or something that often happens.
In English we use 'do' and 'does' as auxiliary verbs in negatives and questions and we often use the present simple with adverbs of frequency such as sometimes, always, often, never, usually, rarely, and hardly ever.
Notes for use of present simple :
In the third person, ‘s’ is added to the verb form. For example;
work --> works
run --> runs
live --> lives
For verbs that end in 'o', 'sh', 'ch', 's' and 'x', we add 'es' to the verb form. For example;
go --> goes
wish --> wishes
watch --> watches
kiss --> kisses
fax --> faxes
For verbs that end in a consonant + 'y', we change the 'y' to 'i' and add 'es'. For example;
try --> tries
study --> studies
The table below shows the different forms of present simple :
Example Verb : Work | I / You / We / They | He / She / It |
| Positive | ... work. | ... works. |
| Negative | ... don't work. | ... doesn't work. |
Questions | Do ... work? | Does ... work? |
| Short answers | Yes, ... do. / No, ... don't. | Yes, ... does. / No, ... doesn't. |
For the verb 'to be' we use 'am', 'is', 'are' in the present simple. No auxiliary verbs are used in negative sentences and questions.
Verb: Be | I | You / We / They | He / She / It |
| Positive | I'm ... | ... 're ... | ... 's ... |
| Negative | I'm not ... | ... aren't ... | ... isn't ... |
| Questions | Am I ... ? | Are ... ...? | Is ... ...? |
| Short answers | Yes, I am. / No, I'm not. | Yes, ... are. / No, ... aren't. | Yes, ... is. / No, ... isn't. |
Present Simple Example Sentences :
Positive Examples of Present Simple :
Negative Examples of Present Simple :
Question Examples of Present Simple :
| Present simple example sentences | |
|---|---|
| How old do I look? | |
| My beard makes me look older, I think. | |
| Okay, it seems they have no aggression towards each other. | |
| She is half Japanese, half Australian. | |
| I don't like violence in real life, I only like it in movies. | |
| So do you want me to find a house by myself? | |
| And now we've got plenty of mushrooms left to use. | |
| I'm happy to hear that. | |
| Yeah, I wonder if we share the same taste in movies! | |
| Hey, the water is boiling, do you want me to pour it into a pot? | |
| I think we should wait for a while till all that smoke disappears. | |
| What's up? Is everything okay? | |
| Do you want me to put it in the bin? | |
| It's usually at the top right of your screen. | |
| I'm hungry, but it's better to have something when we meet the guys. | |
| Last night we were open till very late, and you know her excuse. | |
| Look at the shelf, the price tag says £2.20 a kilo. | |
| That's good, seeing three houses in one day is not bad. | |
| Eating leftovers during the week saves me some time. | |
| The rice section is over there. | |